Rocks Turn to Sand
by to write home about
Summary: It wouldn’t be so easy to fix this time. Jude.Tommy.post-finale


This is just a short little drabble I had to fire off. I'm having issues dealing with how furious I am with finale!Jude. (And yes, I call her that because I think she was completely out of character. There's Jude Harrison and then there's finale!Jude... I hate you, finale!Jude.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. After that ridiculous finale, I'm almost excited about that.

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**Rocks Turn to Sand**

It took exactly two months, one week, three days and thirteen hours for her to show up on his doorstep. It was one month, one week and two days after he stopped expecting her. Tom Quincy had held onto his hope for that long before realizing that it would be the end of him. Jude Harrison had joyously hopped on a plane to London, embracing her chance at the rock star life. He was not part of that package for her. His time had come and gone and the adventures were for her now. She seemed to believe that wholeheartedly and he knew that nothing could stop her from leaving him.

That was only one of the reasons why his eyebrows rose to find Jude Harrison on his doorstep two months, one week, three days and thirteen hours after she gleefully exited his life. He had kept tabs on her—partying in London, dating a bass player, then a drummer, then both—but not by choice so much as the unceasing tabloid interest. Being held hostage in her basement had proven to be one of her best PR moves ever. 'The Basement Song' had been featured on her latest album, which debuted at number one. Critics said 2 A.M. had the heart that her other songs lacked. He tried not to be smug. It wasn't hard, given that he was drowning.

She did not appear to be much better off. Her blonde hair—still short, but longer than when she was _his_ Jude—was flat and hung lifelessly against her pale face. Her enormous blue eyes were red and moist and her lack of eye makeup indicated that she had been crying for a long, long time. That made two of them. Her shirt was too big and her hipbones protruded as if she had lost too much weight too fast. She was beautiful.

"Surprise!" Jude said weakly, throwing up her hands.

"Tell me about it," Tommy answered, running a hand through his hair.

"Are you going to invite me in?" Jude asked, clearly uncertain as to the answer.

"I don't know," Tommy sighed. "I haven't decided if I want to kiss you or strangle you yet."

"I can see how both would be appealing," she joked, obviously straining for a semblance of normal.

"Why are you here?"

"Because this is where you are. And that's where I need to be. And I'm sorry that it took me so long to realize that."

"So what, the little drummer boy wasn't doing it for you?"

"Tommy, please don't tell me you read that trash. You know how they lie."

"I actually don't know if they lie. You never called to clarify."

"I thought keeping in touch would only make things harder."

"For who, Jude? For you? Of course it was for you. You never cared how I felt. You sure as hell didn't care when you broke off our engagement in front of an audience. Did you even think to run that one by me? Did it ever occur to you that, hey, maybe I would want a little head's up that we were breaking up before you issue your public release?"

"Tommy—"

"No, Jude. Not now. Now it's my turn to talk. I would have done anything for you. I was willing to give up everything to follow you to a different country to indulge your delusions of grandeur. I was ready to settle down. I knew what I wanted—_you­—_and you thought that parties were more important. You want your adventures? Go get 'em, rock star."

"It all means nothing without you. I'm not leaving without you," Jude replied, tears streaming silently down her porcelain doll face.

"Then don't. But you'll be waiting a while."

"Then I'll wait."

"Then you'll know how it feels."

He shut the door then, more gently than if his feelings were still repressed. Jude Harrison stood there for a few moments more, memorizing the door of the man that she loved. She had a feeling she would be seeing a lot of it in the coming months. Tom Quincy watched her through his window, watching her pain and wishing he could make it go away. He knew that it mirrored his own and he knew that there was no magical balm to soothe their wounds. It wouldn't be so easy to fix this time.


End file.
